ENGAGING WITH FANTASY JOURNALISTS….SERIOUS STUFF

In what way could PR contribute to life in a virtual reality? I have thought about this question since listening to a presentation on virtual realities. It seems as though people go ‘into’ Second Life (for example) to escape from reality. Why on earth would they want to be bombarded with publicity and PR messaging? Unless... we view it a different way (spin??) and reflect on how public relations contributes to dialogue. PR isn’t just about forcing a message onto unknown civilians? It is about creating discussion and Second Life, World of Warcraft and other virtual reality sites do just that. In an interview on Beet.tv PR junkie Steve Rubel comments on virtual realities and how engaging with fake journalists is very real. Steve goes onto to emphasise that virtual reality is serious business. ‘Big marketers are paying big buck to be in the world, so PR people better start cracking’. It seems that if there is a demand….then it is a viable PR option!

Video depicts how Dwight Shrute lives in Second Life!